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* Annotated by: Minqing Hu and Bing Liu, 2004.              
*		Department of Computer Sicence
*               University of Illinios at Chicago
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* Product name: Canon G3
* Review Source: amazon.com
*
* See Readme.txt to find the meaning of each symbol. 
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excellent picture quality / color 
i recently purchased the canon powershot g3 and am extremely satisfied with the purchase . 
the camera is very easy to use , in fact on a recent trip this past week i was asked to take a picture of a vacationing elderly group . 
after i took their picture with their camera , they offered to take a picture of us . 
i just told them , press halfway , wait for the box to turn green and press the rest of the way . 
they fired away and the picture turned out quite nicely . ( as all of my pictures have thusfar ) . 
a few of my work constituants owned the g2 and highly recommended the canon for picture quality . 
i 'm easily enlarging pictures to 8 1/2 x 11 with no visable loss in picture quality and not even using the best possible setting as yet ( super fine ) . 
ensure you get a larger flash , 128 or 256 , some are selling with the larger flash , 32mb will do in a pinch but you 'll quickly want a larger flash card as with any of the 4mp cameras . 
bottom line , well made camera , easy to use , very flexible and powerful features to include the ability to use external flash and lense / filters choices . 
i 'd highly recommend this camera for anyone who is looking for excellent quality pictures and a combination of ease of use and the flexibility to get advanced with many options to adjust if you like . 
great job canon ! 
cool toy
yep . 
this is my first digital camera , and what a ' toy ' it is ! 
i am a software engineer and am very keen into technical details of everything i buy , i spend around 3 months before buying the digital camera ; and i must say , g3 worth every single cent i spent on it . 
just a little overview , powershot g3 is the flagship of canon 's powershot series and its an slr-like camera , its 4 megapixel and ( alsmost ) full manual control gives the pictures a touch of brilliance . 
whether you are a novice or an expert , its ease of use and functionality goes together . 
+ you can have different kind of lens if you want + flashes , etc. 
as its 4mp , you might need bigger storage to store high quality images and recording movies ( you can record 3 minutes of video ) . 
i am using kingston 512mb cf which works great and is very fast . 
a good choice could be cf type ii , microdrives that can store around 1 gb of images . 
some things that i did n't like ( but hey . nothing is perfect ). 
* main dial is not backlit . 
* lens visible in optical viewfinder . 
( well thats only for old-school die-hard optical viewfinder fans ) use lcd instead which is brilliant and you can twist around too . 
overall i 'm happy with my toy . 
canon g3 ? incredible camera 
i did extensive research comparing different 4 and 5 megapixel cameras . 
a couple of online camera review sites were extremely helpful , as they provided complete exhaustive reviews of nearly every camera made , plus provided a great number of high resolution sample images to compare amongst the models . 
following my research , i decided on the g3 . 
in a word , " awesome " is how i would describe this camera . 
i wo n't go into the details here , as the online sites ( stevesdigicams , dpreviews ) go into great depth in their reviews , but i am very pleased with the features , the speed , the picture quality , the flexibility , the automation , and the functional conveniences this camera offers . 
with the automatic settings , i really have n't taken a bad picture yet . 
and with the panoramic " stitch " mode , it guides you through stitching together multiple pictures to build a seamless panoramic image . 
i am absolutely in awe of this camera , canon put enormous quality into the g3 . 
do n't walk , run and buy this camera if you have the budget , i guarantee you will not be disappointed . 
great camera 
i bought my canon g3 about a month ago and i have to say i am very satisfied . 
i have taken hundreds of photos with it and i continue to be amazed by their quality . 
the g3 is loaded with many useful features , and unlike many smaller digital cameras , it is easy to hold steady when using slower shutter speeds . 
flaws ? 
the lens is visible in the viewfinder when the lens is set to the wide angle , but since i use the lcd most of the time , this is not really much of a bother to me . 
still i am a little suprised that canon did not correct this design flaw before releasing the camera . 
despite this minor disappointment , i highly recommend the canon g3 anyone who is serious about digital photography . 
have n't had practice but i 'm already in love with it 
i have only had this camera for one full day and i have to say that it is wonderful . 
the photo quality is amazing and i know i 'm going to have fun with all the features . 
i 've figured out most of its features on my own already ( because i have used digital cameras before , so i know things like symbols ) . 
i 'm one of those people that can only concentrate on one screen at a time so i 've been having trouble paying attention to the little display panel on top , but that does n't stop me from loving this camera . 
the reason i rated it a four is because of that darn diopter adjustment dial. its very small and hard to turn so you can 't get an accurate adjustment ( for those of you who do n't know what a diopter adjustment is , it is to adjust the focus of the viewfinder to your eyesight . ) 
i am going to have so much fun with this camera and when i learn more i will post a more accurate review . 
excellent for the semi-serious amateur 
positives 
1 ) slr like programming and exposure control gives you latitude to be creative , yet its progam and auto exposure settings provide excellent photos if you do n't want to bother with the settings . 
excellent range of metering options as well . 
it 's great to switch to spot metering and actually see it working on the lcd screen . 
2 ) 4mp is about right for the target market of this camera ( semi-serious amateur photographer ) 
3 ) 4x zoom is nice 
4 ) the great thing about digital , in general , is that you can generally see the results of your exposure settings on the lcd screen before you take the picture , not two weeks later when you get the film developed . 
5 ) its focusing system is also very flexible . 
you can move the focus range to almost anywhere in the scene with the push of a button , and it has an on-screen manual focus mode that would be really helpful if shooting a scene that is tough to automatically focus . 
negatives 
1 ) quite bulky ( it 's about the same size as my minolta vectis s-1 aps slr ) and uses a heavy battery , although not very solid as it is contructed mostly of plastic ( unlike canon 's elph line ) 
2 ) not very ergonomical - you 'll find even for a point-and-shoot lens ) 
4 ) the viewfinder is borderuer lcd scoying . 
fantastic digital camera 
the camera has a wonderful set of features . 
the lcd screen pulls out and rotates in any direction for easy pictures . 
you can even take a picture of yourself while looking at the lcd . 
the optical zoom works great and the 14x digital zoom is a very nice addition although pictures at the highest digital zoom are a little blurry . 
the highest optical zoom pictures are perfect . 
i have not yet seen any of the usual problems with digital pictures ( purple fringing , etc ) so i am very pleased . 
the canon computer software used to download , sort , upload and manage your digital pictures on the computer is very nice and very easy to use . 
the only two minor issues i have with the camera are the lens cap ( it is not very snug and can come off too easily ) and the lens itself ( it partially obstructs the view through the viewfinder but not views through the lcd ) . 
the menus are easy to navigate and the buttons are easy to use . 
it is a fantastic camera and well worth the price . 
the best of everything 
recent price drops have made the g3 the best bargain in digital cameras currently available . 
advanced photobugs will find more creative control than imaginable . 
newbies will find the full auto setting will give them perfect pictures right out of the box . 
4 megapixels is enough for anybody and the photo quality is awesome . 
do n't get fooled by the 5 megapixel marketing hype . 
unless you want to print murals , you do n't need it . 
those used to 35mm cameras will find the g3 very comfortable and friendly to use . 
anyone looking for more than " point and shoot " can make a huge step up for a moderate price difference . 
the extended zoom range and faster lense put it at the top of it 's class . 
i expect the g3 will please me for years to come . 
pure class & quality - a work of craftmanship 
i recommend unreservedly the powershot g3 to any potential buyer looking for a first-class digital camera at a reasonable price - there is no better camera out there - period ! 
it gives great pictures , the controls are easy to use , the battery lasts forever on one single charge , the software is very user-friendly and it is beautiful in it chrome casing . 
i began taking pics as soon as i got this camera and am amazed at the quality of photos i have took simply by using the auto mode . 
absolutely breathtaking . 
i was considering the olympus camedia c-5050 but was convinced to buy the g3 after visiting a store and holding it in my hands and trying it out . 
the olympus is a bit clumsy-looking and the user-interface not as friendly as the canon , but one of the features that sold me on the g3 was the battery life - no other camera out there gives you the type of battery life as the canon g3 . 
i would recommend a larger compact-flash card , at least 128 mb . 
i bought a 512 mb card by simpletech and it works great with my canon . 
great camera 
what else can you say about a camera that works for both of you ? 
i make photographs at work , and so wanted a camera good enough to compare with what i use professionally . 
at the same time , i wanted my wife to not be intimidated by knobs and buttons . 
i recieved the camera , inserted a larger cf card , charged the battery , and handed it to my wife . 
i showed her how to turn it on , where the lens zoom lever is , and she loves it ! 
this camera has canon 's great colorimetry , plus what you see in the lcd is what you get . 
the prints are beautiful ! 
and you get about 120 images on a 256mb card at highest quality . 
i tried out some other brands in the stores , and was disappointed by the battery life of the other company ; plus what you see in the lcd ( no optical finder ) is n't what you get - not even for color ; the output was less than i expected . 
although canon 's batteries are proprietary , they last a really long time , recharge fairly quickly in the camera , plus if you want ' more power ' , you can even find a knockoff charger and spare batteries right here on amazon . 
if you love an slr 35mm but need to go digital 
this is a great camera for you ! 
the canon g3 gives tons of control for photo buffs but still has an " auto " mode that makes it very easy for the novice to use . 
i can hand this to anyone and know they will take some great photos ! 
i love having the option to manually control the f-stop , shutter speed and even focus . 
i was able to take great photos of the 4th of july fire works , and got some amazing shots of the kids playing with sparklers . 
warning - i did read the manual ! 
but if you 've used a slr 35mm camera , the controls are very intuitive ! 
once i read the manual i was able to point and shoot without having to fumble around trying to figure out where the controls are located . 
with a quick spin of the dial you can select shutter priority ( for high speed subjects ) , aperture priority ( for focal length ) or full program mode where the camera selects both for ideal photo quality . 
the manual mode is easy to use with fast access for the selection of shutter speed and aperture without having to fumble through menu options . 
it does n't do you any good if a camera has all the features but you can 't access them quickly when you need them ! 
this camera also has a great feel and weight to it . 
you feel like you are holding something of substance , not some cheap plastic toy . 
the more i work with it , the more i love it ! 
i would recomend that you purchase a lexar media cf for the camera as the sandisk card that comes packaged is too small and too slow ! 
i did n't think i would find this quality and ease of use for under $ 1500 - i 'm thrilled with my purchase ! 
outstanding camera 
this is my first digital camera , and i am very pleased with it . 
i do not know a whole lot about photography , but i am happy to know that this camera can always perform , even as i grow in skill and knowledge . 
seriously , this thing has everything that a pro or expert amateur could want . 
but at the same time , it takes wonderful pictures very easily in " auto " mode , so that even an average joe like me can use it ! 
four megapixels is great . 
i know there are five mp cameras out there , but this thing does just fine for me . 
if you want , check out the canon website and they have some sample images , taken by this camera , for you to download . 
if you are looking for a very simple point and shoot camera , this is probably not what you are looking for . 
if you are looking for an outstanding camera that can take you from simple to complex , this is it . 
it is a very amazing product . 
i highly recommend it . 
love my new g 3 
just received this camera two days ago and already love the features it has . 
takes excellent photos . 
night mode is clear as day . 
i have not played with all the features yet , but the camera is easy to use once you get used to it . 
the only drawback is the viewfinder is slightly blocked by the lens . 
however , using the lcd seems to eliminate this minor problem . 
overall it is the best camera on the market . 
i give it 10 stars ! 
noise level 
this camera has significantly more noise at iso 100 than the nikon 4500 . 
the pictures are brillient 
i just bought the camera a few days ago . 
before i " get used to it " , here are my first feelings : 
a ) the picture quality ( color and sharpness of focusing ) are so great , it completely eliminated my doubt about digital imaging --- how could one eat rice one grain at a time : - ) ) 
b ) the lens cover is surely loose , i already accidently finger-printed the len a few times , and au lens tigt and cause potential damage . 
i wish canon would work out some way for that issue . 
the zooming lever is shaky , i hope it does not operate mechanically , otherwise you 'll feel uneasy . 
great gadget 
i bought this last week through amazon . 
got a great deal from a reputable seller . 
i love this camera . 
i am still trying to figure out the may options it has . 
took hundreds of pictures and they were great . 
great colors , pictures and white balance . 
has 4x optical zoom which is higher than any other in the same price range . 
it is generally overpriced a little bit but you get what you are paying for . 
ok for a digital camera 
maybe it is my lack of experience , but i found shots with this camera very disappointing . 
it was ( i sold it after a few months ) too expensive for the shots that i got . 
sure it had all the features , but when i tried to shoot a girl 's basketball game it just wan't up to the task . 
i do n't think i was asking too much . 
any film zoom p and s would have given superior results with a minimal effort . 
and with the 500 you save you could print the results for the life of the camera . 
i found that low light situations combined with any sort of action left this camera in the dust . 
i wanted it to shoot concerts as well . 
that meant even less light and just as much action . 
sure , i adjusted the film speed to 400 . 
the grain was terrible . 
next time i set it at 100 and used the flash . 
well flash photos are never great , and there was still a lot of noise . 
when i took outdoor photos with plenty of light and the objects were n't moving , the photos were awesome . 
the camera was a marvel . 
getting the printer to help output them was another tale . 
overall i think that you need to consider what you wan't to do . 
for simple point and shoot photography , consider a cheaper digital . 
you do n't need the extra resolution or the cost . 
then again a one time use camera may do just as well . 
if you shoot in lots of light and desire high quality , this will be your camera . 
it is versatile and seems to be one of the best . 
me , i am going with a leica minilux ( the g3 was replacing mine which was stolen ) . 
sure . 
it is less versatile , but i am never disappointed with the output . 
within its limitations 
i am a long-time user of highly responsive film slrs and professional quality external flash equipment , just so you know my bias . 
i have been watching the development of digicams for years , waiting to make my first move . 
what i really want is a $ 1,500 digital slr with a full frame sensor that will take my nikon lenses . 
i figure that is at least three years off , and i am getting impatient . 
hence i decided to spring for a point-and-shoot digicam that that would have features that would let me get around their inherent limitations . 
i chose the g3 because of its reputation for very high quality , clean images . 
the two limitations i knew i would have to deal with are the very long lag time before it focus-locks ( even in bright light ) , and the unsatisfactory light quality of the built-in flash . 
as of this writing , technology has not solved the focus-lock lag time problem for point-and-shoot digicams and anyone who is satisfied with it simply has never used a modern film slr . 
at least once youve got focus lock , the shutter release lag time for the g3 is about 1/10 of a second , which from what ive read , is better than just about anything else available . 
what makes the focus-lock lag time something i can live with is the extreme depth of field obtainable with these point and shoot digicams at f8 . 
once i get focus lock , i can then wait until my restless subject ( a pet or a child ) strikes an amusing pose and then fire the shutter with some reasonable probability of getting my subject still in focus . 
now what about the flash problem ? 
relative to what i can easily achieve with external flash on my nikon slr , the internal flash on the g3 produces harsh , flat images with ugly hot spots . 
fortunately , the g3 has a hot shoe that can take an external flash , and fortunately for me , i already owned a one of the highest quality external flashes that money can buy : the metz 60 ct-4 . 
i cant use my nikon external flash on a canon camera , but i can use my metz , with the proper metz module and extension cord connected between the g3 and the 60 ct-4 . 
for those who have this metz flash ( or the 45cl-3 ) and would like to get the absolute ultimate quality out of this g3 , the metz module you need is the sca 3102 and the connector cord is the sca 3000c . 
in order for this to work , you have to set the camera to manual mode and set the shutter speed and f-stop yourself . 
contrary to what ive read elsewhere , the g3 does sync at 1/250 of a second with third-party flashes , just as it does with the dedicated flashes from canon . 
you also have to set the g3 to second shutter sync , which is what youd want to do most of the time anyhow . 
then just forget about all the controls you have on the metz flash head itself and the sca 3102 control panel , because they are all ignored . 
the g3 completely takes over controlling the duration of the metz flash , and most of the time , the exposure is spot on and when it isnt , its because youve exceeded the range of the metz flash itself . 
this might happen if you get too close to the subject and you are not bounce-flashing , or if you are bounce flashing and the walls are simply too far away . 
unfortunately , the neutral density filters for the metz flash are no longer available , so the first problem cant easily be solved . 
the second problem is solved by more direct lighting from the metz ( with the attendant shadows unfortunately ) . 
but once youve got your exposure within an acceptable range , the g3 is shown to produce utterly stunning images that i can hardly get with my nikon f100 film camera . 
the 60 ct-4 flash head can actually be reversed 180 degrees and then tilted , enabling you to bounce the flash off the walls behind you . 
the results are shadow-free images that look as if theyve been exposed with the gentlest natural light you could imagine . 
now there is one more complaint i have about the g3 and that is the software that comes with it for processing raw images ( i only shoot in raw image mode and the first thing i did was replace the 32 mbyte cf with a 512 mbyte cf , which gives me 130 raw images , as opposed to 7 ! 
the canon software for raw images does not present you with a raw image at all , but the raw image after it has been processed by all the image-affecting settings in the camera . 
i believe this is enabled by a second file that comes out of the camera that stores all this information . 
maybe if you delete those files before you looked at them with the software , youd see the true , raw image that the camera actually produces . 
i didnt wait to experiment . 
instead , i bought the adobe photoshop camera raw plug-in . 
what this plug-in reveals is the truly stunning quality of the raw g3 hardware . 
without any tweaking at all , if the exposure is accurate , the colors are as realistic as ive ever seen produced by film , and this is a raw image ! 
the adobe camera raw plug-in shows once again that hardware is miles ahead of software . 
what the g3 raw image software gives you is a fantasy world designed to please the uncritical . 
what the photoshop plug-in gives you is reality , and then if you want fantasy , you can use photoshop to create it . 
but at least youre starting with the most photorealistic images ive ever seen from a camera . 
i am stunned and amazed at the quality of the raw images i am getting from this g3 ( in conjunction with my professional flash system ) , and can easily put up with the cameras limitations , because ive never seen anything better within its resolution limits . 
knock your socks off great 
i 've had this for 3 months now , and i am pleased with my decision . 
this is the perfect camera for a photo hobbiest who wants to have easy point and shoot ability as well . 
my girlfriend loved using this camera so much as a point and shoot that i had to pry it out of her hands most of the time . 
battery life , the drawback to most digital cameras , to quote k. reeves . 
whoa . 
manual functionality is excellent , downloading pictures is quick and a breeze , and the quality is astounding . 
i did a good month 's worth of research before buying this over other similar priced digital cameras , and this is the best buy for the buck . 
not perfect ( yes , the viewfinder can get obstructed in instances.but the lcd works well enough in those instances ) , not the cheapest 4.0 mp , but the best 4.0 mp . 
if you do n't believe me on that , check the consumer reports review as well as the many digital camera review sites out there . 
or save time and just do it , you wo n't regret it . 
great digital camera 
after reading the very positive review of this camera in a leading consumer magazine , i decided to head here , to amazon , to read through the online reviews . 
the objections of the naysayers almost caused me to purchase a different camera , but , in the end , i figured i 'd give the g3 a try . 
i 'm very glad i did . 
the service from the supplier was exceptional . 
the camera arrived on time and in perfect condition . 
having used it for more than a month , i can say that it consistently produces topnotch photos . 
recently , i attended a " flyball " competition 
-- an event that involves dogs running and jumping hurdles . 
by cocking the shutter to the halfway position and getting the settings ready to shoot , i was able to produce excellent stopaction photos -- contrary to what other reviewers experienced . 
the camera is a dream to operate in automode , but also gives tremendous flexibility in aperture priority , shutter priority , and manual modes . 
in the coastal redwood forests i was able to use these additional features along with the macro-focussing option to shoot wonderful close-up photos of the trilliums and other flowers in bloom . 
about the only legitimate criticsm from the online reviews is that fact that the lens really does obstruct the viewfinder . 
this effect is increased when one buys and uses a telephoto doubler . 
but who cares ? 
i always shoot using the lcd panel . 
i can 't write enough positive things about this great little camera ! 
canon never ceases to amaze 
being a great fan of the g2 i set out with g3 with a somewhat negative expectation , difficult as it is to improve drastically on something already as ' perfect ' as the powershot g2 . 
but canon never fails to amaze . 
some of the great gains over g2 -- 
1 . the ability to selectively switch to raw format during record review gives you incredible more post-processing flexibility . 
2 . battery life is over 4.5 hours , compared to about 2.5 hours for the g2 or the 2 hours for most nikons . 
3 . the remote capture and fileviewer software bundled for photo capture is mind-blowing . 
looks sort of like picasa software ( google it if you dont know ) in the interface and is as easy to install and operate as g2 's , but more intuitive . 
4 . the shape of this device is a little squarer , without losing the weight which means better balance and less shaking while clicking . 
a big plus in my book . 
5 . the 1/200 sec , f5.6 + nd filter for highly exposed ( or very brightly lit ) environments . 
the light auto-correction is awesome . 
you could take a picture of a stone glinting in the sun and still avoid the shining glaze and get the contours right . 
6 . the g2 's " color effect " exposure mode has now been removed , the replacement is a selectable " effect func " menu option available in all exposure modes . 
there are six default settings ( off , vivid , sepia , neutral , low sharpening , b & w ) as well as a ' custom effect ' that allows you to control sharpening , contrast and saturation . 
7 . a new photostich software for stiching your pics into a panoramic view . 
i can of course buy such a tool off the shelves separately but helps if it comes with my camera . 
( looks quite neat too suggesting that canon may have , er , canonized it a bit ). 
8 . perhaps inspired by the canon 's factory white-correction settings ( which were found lacking and had to be altered by a user before the white edges from buildings etc could be cleaned out ) , the g3 has much sharper white offsets . 
in english , this means that even straight out of the box , you 'll be amazed at the pics you end up taking . 
9 . in dim lit environs the g2 could easily outperform any other camera , and thankfully g3 maintains this rep . 
personally i believe it even outperforms the g2 in terms of less haze and astonishingly real colors . 
overall , the g3 delivers what must be considered the best image quality of any current > 4 megapixel digicams , from a detail , tonal balance and color response point of view . 
there 's really very little about g3 images to criticize . 
short of the eos range from canon or the d100s from nikon ( both slrs ) .
this is quite simply the best you can ask for . 
love the g2 
i love my g2 so thought i would upgrade . 
big mistake . 
the g3 had problems focusing in low light and would not take the picture when the shutter was pressed but after the shutter had been released a few seconds . 
got way too many blurry pictures . 
i have returned the g3 ( actually i tried two of them ) and have my g2 ! 
awesome pro-sumer camera 
when shopping for digital cameras i looked at the nikon cp5700 , olympus c5050 , nikon cp5000 , and the canon g3 . 
yes , all cameras except g3 were 5mp but i was looking for a lot more than just megapixel power . 
not only was i was shopping for a camera that would suit my casual and artistic photographic needs , i had to keep in mind that my fiance wanted to use this camera as well . 
her main focus was having a camera that is easy to understand and use . 
the nikon 's are great cameras . 
+ they have great optics ( cp5700 has great optical zoom ) and features , not to mention take great pictures . 
- the drawbacks were that they were not user friendly for the casual photographer , the lcd screen is a little too small , cp5000 does not take photos in raw format . 
olympus c5050 is a very solid camera with a metal body . 
+ takes sharp 5mp photo 's , has great features and relatively easy to use . 
- i did n't care much for the tilting lcd screen , it seemed very limited and not very usefull . 
photos had some artifacts and noise . 
my fiance just did n't like the way it felt in her hands . 
we also looked at the fuji fps602 . 
nice camera but does n't take as sharp as pictures i thought they would , and again . 
fiance did n't like the feel . 
the canon g3 . 
4mp , 4x optical zoom , takes absolutely beautiful photos with detail that challenges all of the above 5mp cameras , easy to understand and use ( has a great swivel lcd screen ) , a lot of features and add-on options , comes with great software ( not to be overlooked ) , and last but by far not least , received my fiance 's stamp of approval ( two thumbs up ! ) 
a lot of research went into digital camera 's before i made this purchase , and hands down , the g3 had everything i needed plus more . 
the other cameras were great and i 'm sure many people will beg to differ from my observations , but to each his / her own . 
i have no buyers remorse with this baby , and i never will . 
always remember , cameras do n't take great pictures , people do ! 
upgraded from g2 and not looking back 
the powershot g3 is a great camera . 
why ? 
because it can help a so-so photographer take spectacular photos ! 
4 megapixels is plenty for all but pros , and you will not be disappointed with the results of this camera . 
it 's slightly lighter than the g2 and packed with even more features . 
make sure you get a big compactflash card ( it comes with a 32mb ) -- the 512mb cards are pretty [ inexpensive ] here on amazon.com and can hold about 500 photos at a time ! 
the catch 
the catch with the canon g3 camera , ( and perhaps all of digital cameras ) is that its unresponsiveness will cause you to miss precious shots . 
prior to the purchase , none of my digital camera friends mentioned the delay between pressing the shutter button and the camera taking the picture . 
no one told me , but i wanted to tell you . 
this is not the same thing as a film camera . 
and while it is cool and fun and has no film processing costs . 
they have n't got all the bugs worked out just yet . 
most of the time , my g3 is a well-behaved camera . 
but once in a while , i run up against it 's major flaw : 
it sometimes takes the picture at some indefinite period of time after you press the shutter button . 
i am not talking milliseconds . 
picture this : 
your child is going to do a cannonball off the diving board , so you compose the shot and wait for your moment . 
when it arrives , you press the shutter release . 
splash ! 
the moment passes , and then your new g3 camera takes the shot . 
perhaps there is a way around this delay . 
some feature i could turn on or off , or some attachment i could get . 
yes , i push the button down halfway first to avoid the autofocus delay . 
yes , i have red-eye off , and yes , i 've tried adding a flash . 
but after trying many adjustments , the camera remains unresponsive when compared to any film-based camera . 
i own another canon - an eos ( 35mm film ) camera . 
it focuses in a snap . 
dim or bright , it would never take a picture after the birthday candles had blown out , after the tae kwon do kick broke the board . 
canon 's g3 does it consistently . 
it feels slow to focus , and unbearably slow to shoot . 
i challenge anyone ( who is not in direct sun at the beach at noon ) to say it is fast and responsive . 
and so i must ask , what are cameras for ? 
what task do they perform ? 
cameras capture moments . 
they stop time . 
because once the moment is gone , it is not coming back . 
the dive , the kick , the blow-out-the-candles moments are , to me , the reason for cameras . 
a 35mm film camera captures the moments you want , while these digital cameras ( my friends now inform me ) all seem to capture the moment immediately following the one you asked to capture . 
not all the time , but often enough to be a real problem . 
like i said , when the moment is gone , it is gone . 
so buy the g3 . 
buy it for fun , for lack of processing , because you want to use iphoto , or whatever . 
but do not assume , as i did , that the g3 has the same ability as [ your current film camera ] to stop the moment you choose . 
from a dime store disposable to a top of the line eos , all film cameras share this ability to capture the moment you tell them to . 
unfortunately , this digital moment-capturing device called the g3 sometimes captures the moment after the one you wanted . 
100 % happy 
this is my first digital camera and i could n't be happier . 
i have but plan on selling my rebel ti and all of the equipment with it . 
i love the quality of the pictures . 
they look fantastic . 
i can take better pictures with this then my rebel ti with a good lens . 
it 's just easier for me since i can make on the fly adjustments . 
the best 4mp out there 
the canon g3 is perhaps the best 4mp camera out there . 
i 've tried the sony s85 with the carl zeiss lens , but the pictures were too digital . 
with canon , you get pictures that appear to be photos , not still camcorder shots . 
i love the eos based controls and easy menus . 
i do n't need to go into exhustive review of this camera . 
many before me have done that already . 
i agree with the positive reviews . 
but there are two things i do n't like about the camera that were not mentioned in any previous reviews . 
1 ) the included lens cap is very loose on the camera . 
though the instruction booklet says that the camera should display " lens " when the cap and the camera are both on , the camera lens extends out and simply takes the lens cap off by itself . 
i 'm concerned that with the easily removed lens cap , i may damage the lens . 
very cheaply made . 
2 ) the body construction - buttons , casing , etc , are too plastic . 
the g2 was better in this respect . 
it had a heavier and more sturdy casing . 
despite these grieps , i still recommend the camera . 
love it more and more 
i used a canon powershot s20 for about 2.5 years and loved it ! 
there were a few flaws that i learned to deal with and took thousands of pictures around the world , losing a few that i really regretted . 
i finally decided to upgrade , and started my research . 
canon was an obvious choice , but i did not want to limit my decision , so started researching all brands that would take my microdrives . 
i researched , held , tested , and observed 3 different brands . 
needless to say , the canon won , hands down . 
this camera performs like i can not believe ! 
i bought it for my trip to beunos aires , and also used it at the iguazu falls , and could not have asked for more perfect performance ! 
it was too new to have learned much about the advanced features , so i generally used the auto mode . 
this camera is worth every penny , and i highly recommend it ! 
another point of note : the battery life is incredible ! 
i did not have a backup battery , and had no need for one . 
i did have ability to charge it every night , so do n't know how long it would have actually gone before dying . 
this camera will stay with me for years ! 
the last digital camera i 'll buy 
i 've been looking to buy a digital camera for a long time and v = finally decided that now was the time . 
after a lot of research , i decided on the g3 . 
am i ever glad that i decided on this camera ! 
i 've only had it a week , but so far , everything about this camera is making me happy . 
forget the fact that it 'll probably take me a year to figure out all the features this camera has to offer . 
i 've been able to change modes on this thing without even looking at the manual . 
very intuitive menus are a big plus on this camera . 
i charged it up the day i got it , took a bunch of pictures and i do n't think the battery indicator has budged from fully charged . 
the standard battery include with the g3 is a camcorder battery that will allow me to take pictures all day without worrying about charging . 
i was worried about this after seeing a friend change batteries on his olympus after about 20-30 pictures . 
the optical zoom is awesome , and the viewfinder reflects the settings of the zoom . 
one little minor flaw with this camera is that the lens is visible in the viewfinder , but does not detract from the image at all . 
as i said , this is the last digital camera i 'll buy , and if you are in the market one , my advice is to buy the best thing you can afford and keep it forever . 
these things may get a lot better in the future , but from what i 've seen in the last few years , the technology for digital cameras is n't advancing at the pace of pc 's , phones and hard drives . 
the best 4 megapixel/4x optical zoom camera available and fairly easy to use . 
highly recommended . 
for more info on digital cameras , go to dpreviews . 
boxy ? no -- gorgeous 
you can read the other reviews for specs and performance opinions . 
i was perfectly happy with my g2 , so why did i trade up to the g3 ? 
because this camera is beautiful . 
the g2 was slightly curvy with a champagne finish -- very homely . 
the g3 looks like a work of art ! 
its silver magnesium finish is stunning , and the sharp lines and excellent grip are better than any other camera i 've seen . 
the little digital elphs were the best-designed , most-elegant cameras until the g3 came along and squashed them . 
very good choice in it 's price range 
this is my first digital camera . 
i am very pleased with it so far . 
i wanted something that is able to take high quality photos but not be so bulky that i would wind up leaving it at home all the time . 
this seemed like a really good compromise . 
i compared it to the olympus c5050z , the sony dcs-f 717 and the nikon 5700 . 
based on the cameras features and about dozen online reviews , this one seemed like the best all round deal . 
it is not perfect though . 
here are the shortcomings i have noticed so far : 
it would have been a much easier choice if this were 5mp camera . 
you can see the lens barrel in the view-finder . 
( i knew this before hand , and it is not that bad ) there is no tiff format . 
that would be a nice compromise between jpeg and raw . 
to save a picture as raw , you have to have the display on , this seems like a waste of battery power . 
it seems to me that after the focus and metering are complete there is quite a lag before the shutter ? 
trips . 
( again this is my first digital camera and maybe that is just how they all are . ) 
for those of you using a mac in os x+ there is no twain utility to download your pics directly into photoshop . 
it is very simple to import via iphoto 2 and then move them to photoshop . 
i have not spent much time with the included software , so i don't know what to say about it other than it seems ok . 
i am quite happy with the camera . 
it comes with a clearly written manual and the learning curve is not too too steep . 
yes , i recommend it over the competition . 
best of the best 
best camera ever . from the image quality , color , function , i can say almost everything . 
this camera has a cool stitch pictures feature , to find out more just log on to canon 's website . 
i had an olympus digital camera before and it was nothing compared to this . 
for those of you who already bought this camera , i suggest you buy a hi-ti dye-sub photo printer . 
you 'll take more pics 
i do n't write many reviews but i 'm compelled to do so with this camera . 
first and foremost , it will take better pic 's than most film camera 's . 
save them on computer and print out just the ones who want . 
duplicates are a no brainer and cheap . 
no more wasted time and money developing rolls of pic 's for just a couple of keepers . 
crop and enlarge the best at practically no extra cost or time . 
the technology is finally here folks , to make your photo life easier . 
a great new use for that underutilized computer . 
a digital camera will stay at home if its a hassle to use . 
poor quality pics , short battery life , slow time consuming uploads and printing will ruin the digital camera experience and keep you buying film . 
this camera has none of these flaws and will be something you 'll use all the time . 
my wife shuns all new technology and compained when i brought this home , but now she 's forever asking for the digital camera . 
and i let my kids shoot as many pics as they want , let them review them on the camera and just print the good ones ( which are not many ) . 
get the canon 850 printer and an ex flash . 
in short , i have a new slr with an expensive lens and several film point and shoots . 
i have n't used any of them since i got the g3 . 
unless your a professional , now you will need only one camera . this one . 
excellent camera 
i spent a lot of time comparing different cameras , and i realized that there is not such thing as the best digital camera . 
you can always spend more money to get a better one . 
however , for a $ 600 - $ 800 budget , i think this camera is an excellent choice . 
it has a beautiful design , lots of features , very easy to use , very configurable and customizable , and the battery duration is amazing ! 
also , the display is " hinged " and it can be placed in a myriad of positions , or to protect it against any damage . 
excellent idea ! 
one bad thing is that it comes with a pitiful 32mb compactflash card , and for most purposes , it is not enough . 
however , it seems that this is the general rule for most digital cameras . 
another good thing is that this camera seems to introduce much less noise in dark places than others i 've seen . 
cannon 
i have owned this camera for a short time and would n't give it up for anything . 
it surpasses my greatest expectations in a 4mp camera .. 
powerful product 
bought this product about a month ago and have used it in a variety of situations . 
in general it is easy to use and well laid out . 
for `` cool factor '' buffs it looks and feels like a small plastic brick brick and does n't have any wow factor . 
it makes up for this by being extremely easy to use with well laid out controls that can be learned quickly . 
the g3 has most if not all of the features that you would want from a semi-pro / pro slr with a good range of manual options for those who know something about photography . 
in the hands of someone who does n't , it will yield good results on idiot program / auto mode . 
my wife , who has never used a camera before , picked it up and soon got the hang of the fact that if you do n't like what you have created you just delete and try again . 
the photos she took are better than the results i got from my nikon slr and range of lenses ! 
this is a big plus for those who a shifting to digital and the g3 's large mobile screen helps with this . 
negative points : 
the included memory card is too small . 
go out and get a 256meg card , it 's worth the expense . 
it is made of plastic . 
for those who are used to brass cameras that can be dropped , picking up a camera like the g3 is an unnerving experience . 
this is by no means unique to this model , i 'm sure . 
the zoom lens unit feels fragile and it is worth buying a good camera bag if you are going put to carry it round a lot . 
this is not a handbag camera . 
while light , it will not easily go in small handbags or pockets . 
the function lever - the one which switches between capture and view mode feels fragile . 
flash - as with all built-in flashes in small cameras , you get overilluminated main subjects with depth being lost . 
the g3 has a shoe which will take other powerful ( and expensive ) canon flashes that will allow bounce and reflected flash photography . 
the strap is horrible and gets in the way of parts of the camera you need access to . 
if you can afford this camera , you can afford to get a better strap elsewhere - a very minor quibble . 
good points : 
the functionality on this camera is mind-blowing . 
canon have packed a lot in here and the options and controls are easy to use and logically laid out . 
learning how to use it will not take very long . 
the image quality is excellent . 
messing around with images in photoshop ( a supplied software package ) and printing them on a good printer , yielded excellent results . 
unless you are making posters , a g3 is more than good enough . 
range of functions - as indicated above - it has something for everyone : point and shoot power plus advanced functions for those who are serious about photography . 
please note that this is the first digital camera i have owned or used . 
a lot of my opinions are more relevant for those who are switching from film . 
i did extensive research before chosing the g3 but there 's nothing like picking one up and playing with it first . 
best camera i 've used 
this is by far the finest camera in its price and category i have ever used . 
it is also one of the few electronic items that works right out of the box . 
the macro works great for medical photographs and the auto mode is terrific for point and shoot . 
this camera is closest to perfect than any otherdigicam 
this camera is closest to perfect than any other digicam that is 4-5 megapixel . 
beats that sony f717 ; its archrival . 
i 'm glad canon decided to keep the 4mp resolution and improved upon it with new technology ; 
i can 't fit all that resolution ( 4mp = 2272x 1704 resol . ) in my 19in flat monitor ( 1200x1024 resol . ) anyways . 
please go to read dpreview.com and you 'll get the complete story . 
my story is based on personal usage . 
yes there is a corner lens barrel distortion ( i do n't like it too but no harm done since i always use the camea lcd screen to see exactly what i 'm going to get ) in the viewfinder when you do n't zoom ( when you zoom the lens distortion goes away ) , canon knows this and engineered it that way to minimize the parallax phenomenon ; that is what lmost exactly ot the picture . 
moving the viewfinder elsewhere on the camera will remove the lens distortion but increase the parallax phenomenon . 
the distortion is not a flaw . 
as with taking digital pictures , i notice other people including myself have errors on their compactflash which results in certain shots being partially taken or lost - this is an issue that seems to effect compactflash and other digicam brand . 
i 've have n't heard about a diagnos or fix for this . 
in terms of the shots taken , this camera is insanely great ! 
the pictures are fabulous and their is a ( short ) learning curve to it ; there are tons of features i have n't even gotten to . 
in terms of the important accessories , i got myself an the extra litium battery . 
based on my used , 1 full charge was enough for at least 255 shots . 
i also got myself a 512mb viking compact flash ( enough for 255 shots at full 4mp resolution and max picture quality ) and a used $ 250 3lb subnotebook with usb connection and tons of hard drive space for long trips so i can verify what i 've taken and that subnotebook also saves me from having to buy extra compactflash . 
the compact flash is delicate and i hate to swap it in fear on the connetions ( camera and cf ) bending ( can lead to cf erros ) or losing it . 
anyways , canon has improved upon the g2 with this g3 . 
it 's a winner . 
i 've been pleased with the picture quality and durability in snow , car , boat and wind . 
my only suggestion is to get a lens protector to help protect the shooting lens ( the lens coating will wear out after so many clean wipes ) and i 'm getting the those ( 52 mm adapter and uv lens filter ) at lensmateonline.com . 
they got the best lens adapter for the g3-better than canon 's . 
that 's what i did and hopes this helps . 
canon g3 review / response / recommendation 
the camera 's a work of art / science -- that 's understood . 
it takes great pictures , operates quickly , and feels solid . 
to address two previous somewhat negative reviews : ( 1 ) yes , the lens barrel does obstruct part of the lower left corner in the lens viewfinder ; however , the lcd viewfinder is rather stunning and i find myself rarely using the lens viewfinder . 
( 2 ) there are , actually , several differences between the g2 and g3 , such as differences in continuous shooting , the optical lens , the control layout , playback zoom , image processing , and so on . 
beware 
you see , i can 't rank the product since the merchant that amazon is collaborating with ( j and r camera . ) to bring us consumers better choices never sent me the product . 
although you may think you 're dealing with amazon , you 're dealing with some second rate store that you 've never heard of . 
after charging my card for the camera and for expedited shipping , 5 business days later , they still had n't shipped the product . 
i called them twice and both times they said it is " about to ship " . 
one of the calls was on a saturday and when i pressed the guy a bit , he said , " actually we do n't ship on saturdays " . 
so why lie about it ? 
so i finally gave them a deadline which they said they could meet . 
although they accepted that they will ship on mon - 6 jan , they still did n't ship it . 
they said it is in stock , but they are " too busy " . 
they were n't busy enough to charge the credit card , though ! 
although i tried contacting amazon to see if they can do anything , the replies i got were inept as if they had n't taken time to read the complaint . 
i cancelled the order . 
hope to get my refund in a timely manner . 
thanks for nothing , amazon ! 
major design flaw 
this camera has a major design flaw . 
when you look through the viewfinder ( not the lcd ) the bottom left corner of the picture ( about 15 % ) is blocked by the lens . 
i called the canon technical service center to see if i had a defective camera . 
after about a minute of trying to tell me that most people use the lcd and not the view finder , they finally admitted , it was a design flaw in the camera . 
everything else about the camera is great . 
if you strictly use the lcd and not the view finder , i highly recommend the camera . 
however for me , i occasionally use the view finder and trying to frame in a picture with the lens blocking the view is too much . 
i 'm sending mine back and am waiting for the problem to be corrected . 
i love it more the longer i own it 
i 've been using a powershot s330 for nearly a year , and wanted to upgrade to a 4 or 5 megapixel camera with a longer zoom , more adjustability , a hot shoe for an external flash , and a remote control . 
i looked at both the nikon coolpix 5700 and the canon g3 , and decided on the g3 due both to ergonomics ( much more comfortable to hold and use ) and the price . 
i 've had the camera for about two weeks and shot hundreds of pictures so far . 
and so far , i 've been very pleased . 
there 's a noticeable difference in the quality of a 4 megapixel image versus the 2 megapixels of the s330 , especially if you want to crop and enlarge the pictures . 
the larger lens of the g3 gives better picture quality in low light , and the 4-times optical zooms gets you just that much closer . 
the moveable lcd screen is great . 
you can take pictures with the camera held above your head , way down , or beside you with no problem , allowing you to position the camera for the best shot without contorting yourself . 
the tiny ( postage-stamp sized ) remote unit is wonderful : not only does it trigger the shutter , it can also be used to zoom and review pictures . 
i also purchased a good sturdy tripod : the combination of the new camera , tripod and remote control enabled me to take some remarkable indoor , natural-light portraits i never would have attempted before . 
the hot shoe flash attachment allowed me to buy and use a sophisticated flash unit : 
i chose the canon speedlite 420 . 
this has made the greatest difference in the quality of my photographs : the built-in flash on any of these cameras gives you flat photos , red-eye , and annoying shadows ; a good add-on flash unit can be bounced off the ceiling or wall for pleasing , almost-natural lighting . 
i needed three batteries to keep myself going with the s330 , but the battery in the g3 is a real powerhouse : 
i shot over 300 photos at my goddaughter 's birthday party without switching out to my backup battery . 
the g3 has a different type of battery charging system from the smaller canon cameras : the battery needs to be charged while in the camera , but the charging system also enables you to use the camera while plugged in without running down the battery . 
i have yet to try using all of the adjustment options : shutter priority , aperature priority , light metering adjustments , etc. , but all controls are well thought out and and the manual is relatively clear . 
you can use this camera right out of the box on the automatic setting , or slowly get comfortable with the manual settings and what they can do . 
negatives ? 
i 've been bothered by blown-out highlights on the s330 , and the g3 seems to do only slightly better . 
( i 'm starting to think that this may just be one of the weaknesses of all digital photography at this level . ) 
the on-off button feels somewhat flimsy , and has an awkward , tiny little lock-out button that needs to be depressed to turn on the camera . 
and the body / construction in general has quite a bit of plastic , a disappointment after the stainless steel heft of the s330 . 
i bought a 512 mb card , which seems to hold about 400 photos at the highest resolution . 
i was worried that 4 megapixel photos would download more slowly , but there 's no difference in working with the files . 
i have a 120 gb remote drive i use to store my digital images : 
i can imagine that they 'd fill up my ibook 's internal memory pretty quickly . 
at the same time i purchased this camera i also bought adobe 's photoshop elments 2.0 software , and can 't praise it highly enough . 
if you 're investing in a camera at this level , buy this software ! 
and as i said in my review of the s330 , all of these digital cameras are easier to use with apple computers . 
the bottom line : if you 're serious about your digital photography , or been bitten with the bug after using a digital point-and-shoot , this may be just the camera for you . 
but make sure to buy a tripod and separate flash unit at the same time : you 'll see the difference in your photos immediately . 
added 2-24 . 
i 've now had the camera for two months and i 'm even more pleased with it . 
i wound up buying a gray card and use it all the time with the custom white-balance setting . 
it helps avoid the problem of a color cast on the pictures , especially in mixed-light settings . 
if you do n't have a gray card , you can use a plain white piece of paper . 
i also discovered the exposure-bracket setting , which enables you to take three exposures with one press of the shutter : the first at the camera-determined exposure , then one lighter and one darker . 
especially useful with portraits and difficult-to-meter situations . 
i did buy the telephoto lens ( and the required extension ) . 
very easy to use . 
i 'll probably also get the wide-angle now , too . 
very comfortable camera , easy to use , and the best digital photos you 're going to get at this price . 
best non-slr digital camera under 5 megapixels 
i 've been using the g3 for about six weeks and it has proven itself to be all that it 's advertised . 
after doing a hands-on comparison between the nikon coolpix 5700 and sony dsc-f 717 ( both of which lack the quality , feel , or features of the g3 ) , i ultimately chose the g3 because of its outstanding image quality ( resolution and coloration are superior ) . 
it beats the competition in almost every area including battery life , enthusiast features , external flash capabilities , available storage types , image formats , and more . 
this is a camera you will need to study and use in order to fully exploit its many features . 
it can be a point-and-shoot camera , but if you do not intend to " get into " it 's finer features , i 'd suggest a less enthusiast featured choice . 
all-in-all , i believe this is arguably the best non-slr digital camera on the market . 
the best so far 
the canon g3 improves in almost all ways on the g1 and g2 before it , and in fact beats the nikon coolpix 5000 in performance ( picture quality and battery life ) -- which is amazing because the 5000 is a 5 megapixel camera and the canon is a 4 megapixel camera . 
canon 's optics are better and i believe their processing algorithms are also better . 
simply , the canon g3 is the best digital camera out there today at this price point . 
the canon allows you to change lenses , and it accepts the ibm microdrive ( type ii compact flash ) , so you can have up to 1 gigabyte of storage . 
for me on the fine resolution setting ( not maximum but very close ) this adds up to over 1000 images with the 1 gig card . 
the battery life of this camera is twice that of the nikon 5000 and is better than anything else i 've seen . 
the only minor nits i have with the camera are it is fairly boxy looking , it needs a wrist strap instead of a neck strap , and it is a bit slow between shots . 
even with these shortcomings , i still think it is the best digital camera available under $ 1200 . 
great camera but g2 will do the same for less 
definetely a great camera . 
proven canon built quality and lens . 
feels solid in hand . 
rather heavy for point and shoot but a great camera for semi pros . 
